Please help with a tsuba mei

[andreYes]

Hello!

 

Please help me with translation and understanding of the following mei.

 

According to the seller's opinion the first line is:

武州住津田 - Bushu Ju Tsuda

- but I'm not sure about the first kanji... Besides, what does it mean - "Tsuda"?

 

The second line is most probably:

政右衛門光方作 - Masaemon (or Seiemon ?) Mitsukata Saku

Are these the family name and the name of the artist?

 

Does anyone heard about this artist?

It is Ito school style, isn't it?

[Ludolf Richter]

Hi Andrey,"your" Tsubako is not in Haynes,other index-books and my database with that Mitsukata-Go.Mitsukata was a seldom used Go of the 16th Goto-mainline-master Hojo,but that's not him.The style is Ito+Choshu+?Tsuda is a family name I couldn't find in the books,but there is something in my head in connection with a Choshu artist (gone to Edo?).There is no Ito artist starting with Mitsu.Ludolf

[Ludolf Richter]

The only other "tsuda" in our Nihonto business I know is used to describe the style of the signature,e.g.the famous swordsmith (Nidai) Echizen no Kami Sukehiro from Osaka with "maru tsuda"- and "kaku tsuda"-style ("Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro".So "tsuda" maybe no family name?!Ludolf

[andreYes]

Thank you, Ludolf, for your comments. I also can't find neither Mitsukata, nor Masaemon yet...

So it could be an artist who lived in Edo, but not from Ito school?

 

And I'm completely confused with this "Tsuda"

[andreYes]

I found one Mitsukata from Choshu

He is mentioned in the book "Japan. Its History, Arts, and Literature" by Capitain Francis Brinkley (vol.VII):

"Mitsukata. 19th cent. Metal-worker of Choshiu"

 

And I think that Tsuda could be a city name... For example, I found out that there was a port Tsuda in Sanuki province. So, maybe there was a town Tsuda in Musashi province?

 

Besides, I'm not sure that the first kanji in the mei is "武". I can see several differences... Maybe it's not "Bushu", but something different?